Trilogy Bass Soft Synth from Spectrasonics

(Click for a close-up)

Spectrasonics has announced Trilogy, a virtual instrument dedicated to the all three types of Bass sounds - Acoustic, Electric and Synthesizer Bass.

Trilogy is a brand new type of software plug-in instrument that integrates a three gigabyte core library of more than one thousand brand new Bass sounds, with a powerful user interface for creating original Bass patches. Trilogy can be used as a native plug-in instrument in hosts like Logic, Digital Performer, Cubase VST, Nuendo and Pro-Tools...no sampler is necessary.

All-new recording sessions with top LA studio bass players provide the huge collection of multisampled Electric and Acoustic Basses within Trilogy. A new technique Spectrasonics has developed called "True Staccato" sampling allows for playing natural repeated notes on the basses in real-time with a much greater level of realism than on previous sampled Basses. Detailed articulations like glisses, hammer-ons, pulls, harmonics, trills, x-notes, pops, noises and slides of varying speeds are included, as well as a comprehensive variety of instruments and playing styles --Fingered, Picked, Muted, Rock & Roll, Slapping, Ballad, Fretless, Jazz, R&B and much more. Thousands of samples are used in these instruments, mapped with multiple dynamics for the highest degree of expression available.

In addition to gigabytes of high-resolution sampled vintage synth waveforms, and thick multimode resonant filters for each layer, Trilogy has the rare feature of analog synth-style Legato triggering and Glide that no other software samplers have. This capability allows for Synth Bass sounds that actually play like a vintage analog synth. This feature can also be used with any of the Electric or Acoustic Basses, for unique hybrid sounds.

The real power of Trilogy lies within its layering concept. Beyond the core library of a thousand Basses, every patch in Trilogy has two layers that can be tweaked individually. Any of the core library's layers can immediately be mixed and matched, and edited independently. This allows for user control of the microphone and pickup balance of the acoustic basses, and for unique user combination possibilities, such as mixing the sound of a sampled Minimoog with a Fretless bass, or a sampled Virus with a TB-303 waveform, or giving an Acoustic Bass a sub-oscillator. There are over a million possible combinations, allowing musicians many more options for Bass sound creation than have previously been available.

Trilogy's features include:

• Massive 3 gigabyte core library
• 1,000 brand new Electric, Acoustic and Synth Basses, each with dual layers.
• Mixing and Matching of layers for over a million dynamic combinations.
• Dual layers allow dynamic tone blending
• Optimized Bass engine for Earthshaking, Cone-blowing, Subsonic sound
• Multi-dynamic (up to 8 way) velocity switching multisample articulations
• "True Staccato" sample-mapping, for realistic repeated notes.
• Analog synth-style Legato triggering
• Built-in auditioning system... rapid load times
• Easy to use, built-in patch management system
• Fully programmable
• Total recall with host sequence
• Multimode resonant filters for each layer, plus master filters
• Three envelopes per layer for Pitch, Filter and Amplitude
• Matrix-style modulation routing, four LFOs
• Powered by custom 32 bit UVI engine
• Cross platform plug-in compatibility

$399 MAS, RTAS and VST Mac/PC included.

Compatible with Logic, Cubase, Performer, Pro Tools, Nuendo and other VST hosts.

System recommendations:

• 512 MB RAM, 3.5 GB free hard disc space
• MAC: OS 8 or higher, 300 mHz G3 or better CPU, MAS, RTAS or VST 2.0 host
• PC: Windows 98, 400 mHz Pentium or better CPU, sound card, VST 2.0 host

Trilogy will be shipping in the second quarter of 2002.